More cardio or strength training?

veevero2016
veevero2016 Posts: 23 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi guys. I need some advice and please don't be sarcastic with your responses I am a beginner at changing my life around. I am committed long term to a healthy lifestyle not just for the summer. I am 4-11 and weighing in at 118lbs. I began in Jan and lost 7lbs thru eating healthier and doing cardio workouts. My belly and side (love handles) have gone down but I feel like my belly still hangs a bit. I recently started taking cut n tone classes at the local gym for 60 mins 2-3 times a week. I know it's early but I'm worried I should be doing more cardio to lose my belly rather than circuit training at this point. Should I do more cardio until I feel like my belly has gone down significantly or by doing strength training classes I'll begin to see a difference?

Replies

  • steph2strong
    steph2strong Posts: 426 Member
    I've said it before and I'll say it again Abs are made in the kitchen! You can do all the cardio in the world and still have love handles or a gut. I built definition in my abs through dedicated strength core work and kettlebells, and I get them to show by keeping my body fat low which really happens from diet. If I eat crummy for a few days, I start to get bloated and fluffy around the middle and that definition just disappears.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
    the calorie deficit will do the fat loss (you only have a small amount to lose so expect it to be slow). A good mix is cardio for heart health and strength training for muscle retention - I'd go with the strength training since you already have the others sorted. It'll help your muscles show through.
  • veevero2016
    veevero2016 Posts: 23 Member
    fernt21 wrote: »
    I've said it before and I'll say it again Abs are made in the kitchen! You can do all the cardio in the world and still have love handles or a gut. I built definition in my abs through dedicated strength core work and kettlebells, and I get them to show by keeping my body fat low which really happens from diet. If I eat crummy for a few days, I start to get bloated and fluffy around the middle and that definition just disappears.

    What does your diet consist of?
  • veevero2016
    veevero2016 Posts: 23 Member
    girlinahat wrote: »
    the calorie deficit will do the fat loss (you only have a small amount to lose so expect it to be slow). A good mix is cardio for heart health and strength training for muscle retention - I'd go with the strength training since you already have the others sorted. It'll help your muscles show through.

    Thanks for the advice !
  • MatzeV
    MatzeV Posts: 1 Member
    edited February 2016
    You should do both.
    Cardio doesn't work without muscles and vice versa.
    It takes some time and patience to find the right balance for yourself. To get rid of your belly, you need more muscles. And more muscles have another nice effect. Muscles need calories to function, fat needs nothing ;)
    So with more muscles, you raise your daily need for calories and you loose fat even while sleeping.
    But cardio is also important, because cardio uses the muscles you build up to burn the fat you want to get rid of. It also strengthens your heart and pushes your metabolism.

    I'm in a whole another situation. Mid September 2015 i had more than 300 lbs. My body started giving up and i ended in the hospital for 2 weeks because of serious issues. After lots of pills and drugs they diagnosed on early december a beginning heart weakness. That was the turning point for me.
    I started doing my workout, changed my food, just changed a big part of my life.
    Right now i'm 12 weeks into my combined muscle & cardio training, lost 44 lbs and gained lots of muscle mass (so the fat loss is even higher, because muscles weight more).

    I train 4 times a week my muscles, each day another group and after each muscle workout, i do my cardio. Up to 90 minutes a day.

    It took me a lot of fine tuning everything and even yet i still have fine tune it and adapt to my new situation :)

    By the way, the most important part = The first few weeks you don't see much changes, your body (muscles) need some time to adapt to the new situation.
    I lost nearly no weight the first 4 weeks. After 6 weeks it started with a significant weight loss. And after 8 weeks i loose around 4lbs - 5lbs per week.

    Continue your workout, find the right balance for yourself between muscle and cardio workout and be patient. The results will come! :)
  • veevero2016
    veevero2016 Posts: 23 Member
    MatzeV wrote: »
    You should do both.
    Cardio doesn't work without muscles and vice versa.
    It takes some time and patience to find the right balance for yourself. To get rid of your belly, you need more muscles. And more muscles have another nice effect. Muscles need calories to function, fat needs nothing ;)
    So with more muscles, you raise your daily need for calories and you loose fat even while sleeping.
    But cardio is also important, because cardio uses the muscles you build up to burn the fat you want to get rid of. It also strengthens your heart and pushes your metabolism.

    I'm in a whole another situation. Mid September 2015 i had more than 300 lbs. My body started giving up and i ended in the hospital for 2 weeks because of serious issues. After lots of pills and drugs they diagnosed on early december a beginning heart weakness. That was the turning point for me.
    I started doing my workout, changed my food, just changed a big part of my life.
    Right now i'm 12 weeks into my combined muscle & cardio training, lost 44 lbs and gained lots of muscle mass (so the fat loss is even higher, because muscles weight more).

    I train 4 times a week my muscles, each day another group and after each muscle workout, i do my cardio. Up to 90 minutes a day.

    It took me a lot of fine tuning everything and even yet i still have fine tune it and adapt to my new situation :)

    By the way, the most important part = The first few weeks you don't see much changes, your body (muscles) need some time to adapt to the new situation.
    I lost nearly no weight the first 4 weeks. After 6 weeks it started with a significant weight loss. And after 8 weeks i loose around 4lbs - 5lbs per week.

    Continue your workout, find the right balance for yourself between muscle and cardio workout and be patient. The results will come! :)

    I shall be patient. Thanks so much for sharing your story and advice.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    edited February 2016
    • You're going to have to be super on point with your diet/intake, so above all else, make sure that is dialed in.
    • Make sure you have reasonable goals/expectations of yourself
    • Patience, patience, patience, patience. It takes way longer than you think it should, and 10x as long as you want it to.
    • Splitting hairs maybe... but IMO abs are made in the gym but exposed in the kitchen. Diet will get you thin/lean, workouts will get you strength/muscle. The 2 together will give you abs (or definition in general).


    But specifically to your question.. the type of workout you do probably won't make any meaningful difference. IMO, do which one you will give the most effort/intensity to. Workout intensity + appropriate intake = progress.
  • AlisonH729
    AlisonH729 Posts: 558 Member
    So that's like, a pound a week? That seems a little fast with so little to lose, but regardless, as you get closer to goal it will slow down. Us shorties (I'm 5'2) don't have a lot of wiggle room as far as calories go, so cardio is a nice back up. But IMO I think a strength routine is key. Your body doesn't discern between fat and muscle, and will use both for energy, so a good strength routine can help you preserve muscle as you lose. Also, getting strong makes you feel like a BA.
  • sumthingood
    sumthingood Posts: 4 Member
    edited February 2016
    Consistency is key. Proper diet and focus on strengthening the core, you'll be fine. Tips: when you're doing cardio try to incorporate some core movements.
  • rileyes
    rileyes Posts: 1,406 Member
    The good thing about circuit training is that it can be both cardio and strength training. Win win. The key is to progressively challenge yourself with heavier weights, higher steps, more explosive jumps... Or switch to single-leg/arm movements...

    Compound lifts will help with power as well as hit lots of muscles in each movement. These are what make my abs pop.
  • veevero2016
    veevero2016 Posts: 23 Member
    Thanks so much for your feedback I think I'm rushing in this process and I shall slow down and be more realistic about my goals.
  • FabianRodriguez94
    FabianRodriguez94 Posts: 221 Member
    Calorie deficit will bring you abs. Cardio will help you create a larger deficit, allowing for more wiggle room in your diet. Strength training will help create a much stronger and lean body as you continue to lose body fat.

    All 3 work beautifully together.
  • veevero2016
    veevero2016 Posts: 23 Member
    FabianRodriguez94 wrote: »
    Calorie deficit will bring you abs. Cardio will help you create a larger deficit, allowing for more wiggle room in your diet. Strength training will help create a much stronger and lean body as you continue to lose body fat.

    All 3 work beautifully together.

    I will continue with strength training thanks!

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